Crytek may go bankrupt

[Billy Idol]

Wouldn't it be best to pick out the cherries? I.e. all the excellent brain power that is looking for a new job now...no need to buy Crytek and all their over expenaive offices in Germany...

The IPs, except for Timesplitters of course, don't seem that strong. I do love all the Crysis games (with 3 being one of the best shooters available imo), but not that many seem to really care...and the ever moaning 'give me crysis 1 back' crowd doesn't help. Ryse was really good, but it's like Gladiator...and it is no God of War.

Overall, I would try to get the tec core of the studio...should be only a handful of specialists I guess...

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Timesplitters is a strong IP? and Crysis isn't? Ok, perhaps it's time to pass the pipe...

Last Timesplitters game was released almost 10 years ago and it seems pretty much no one cared about it.

 

[Billy Idol]

Timesplitters is a strong IP? and Crysis isn't? Ok, perhaps it's time to pass the pipe...

Last Timesplitters game was released almost 10 years ago and it seems pretty much no one cared about it.

Timesplitters is just a favorite of mine...that is why i mentioned it. Of course, in reality no one cares and seemed to care back then...although it featured monkeys!!

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sony has a cross-platform engine but it's unpopular. Incorporating CryEngine into their platform would be a boon for controlling an optimised cross-platform middleware. It'll also potentially help Sony branch out into software for other platforms, replacing PlayStation Mobile.

Not saying I trust this rumour, but I can see the merit to it.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Sony has a cross-platform engine but it's unpopular. Incorporating CryEngine into their platform would be a boon for controlling an optimised cross-platform middleware. It'll also potentially help Sony branch out into software for other platforms, replacing PlayStation Mobile. Not saying I trust this rumour, but I can see the merit to it.

I can't see why a Sony CryEngine would attract more interest than the PhyreEngine or why Sony's tools teams (ICE and what was previously SN Systems) would want to split their effort supporting existing PlayStation core technologies and Cry Engine on not only PlayStation platforms but Xbox, Windows and mobile platforms. Because if it's not competitive and optimised on all platforms, you diminish the selling points of a cross-platform engine. This is a long term investment of time and resources keeping the engine and the tools updated in a world where the reality is that more developers are rolling their own engines or happy using Unreal Engine or Unity.

Perhaps it would have made sense during the PlayStation 3 era where the unique architecture remained a challenge for developers for most of the console's lifetime but the future is PlayStation 4, which by all accounts is a much easier platform to support.

 

[Brad Grenz]

Crytek is bigger than it needs to be, having expanded too quickly. I highly doubt it's too big for Sony to acquire.

That is, of course, assuming they wanted to.

If the company was actually making enough projects/successful enough projects for the amount of jobs they have to make sense, it might be a different picture.

Honestly, Crytek is probably worth more broken up than as a whole. UK could go to Deep Silver who has an interest in salvaging Homefront. The former Vigil team could be valuable to someone like Sony. MS could pick up the main Ryse team. The engine business could be sold separately, maybe to one of the Chinese f2p publishers. They would get more money that way then trying to keep it all together. As you say, being too big was the problem in the first place and any potential buyer would do major layoffs and close some of the offices anyway.

 

[steveOrino]

I dont know why anyone would buy Crytek for their engine... They are practically giving it away as is.

Timesplitters is a strong IP? and Crysis isn't? Ok, perhaps it's time to pass the pipe...

Last Timesplitters game was released almost 10 years ago and it seems pretty much no one cared about it.

I hope your aren't implying Crysis is a strong IP.....

Timesplitters (especially 2) was loved among many console gamers because of its fun split-screen multiplayer and was considered the best FPS on Playstation 2. After all, it was developed by ex Rare guys whom worked on the other fan favorite FPS Goldeneye/PerfectDark at the once great Rare game studio.

No clue what Free Radical is today or if any one who worked on TS is even with the studio anymore but I suppose TS brand has nostalgia for whatever thats worth.

 

[Nisaaru]

I loathed Timesplitters 2 on my XBOX. The game controlling was just horrible as there was no way to target something in a natural way. The worst game I can recall buying for that console.

 

[Rangers]

Timesplitters seems like a IP like, I dont know, maybe Shenmue, or Panzer Dragoon, or something like that. Cult following from years ago, but I doubt the mainstream even has a clue what it is anymore.

Fallout is an example of an IP that was resurrected from just such status to mega franchise, though. It's theoretically possible, but no particular reason to anticipate it.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

This is a long term investment of time and resources keeping the engine and the tools updated in a world where the reality is that more developers are rolling their own engines or happy using Unreal Engine or Unity.

If Sony wants to get Sony games onto mobile, they either need their own engine or to license another engine. Similarly if they want to be a content platform for other devs on mobile. Owning an engine would facilitate that. You could provide a Sony devkit with a write-once, deploy-many solution. Create one project and release it as mobile, Vita, PS4, XB1 and PC. Presently the solution for that is including Unity licensing with the devkit, where being the owner of the engine may have fiscal and strategic benefits.

Not saying it's a convincing argument...

 

[homerdog]

Free to play is the future... good riddance Crytek. They had some great moments, but certainly deserve the death penalty for their current direction.

 

[Deleted member 11852]

Free to play is the future... good riddance Crytek. They had some great moments, but certainly deserve the death penalty for their current direction.

If by "the future" you mean profit in relation to development effort, then it's only seemingly highly profitable for a small number of developers. Look at the amount of total developers across the iOS and Google Play stores then count the number of truly successful games.

Free to play just means there's no barrier to entry (no initial purchase) for people to continue to play your game, and invest in it with micro transactions, you are back to the same challenges as full price games. The games have to stand out from the crowd.

I've read a few articles that suggest a lot of gamers never finish games. With that kind of staying power, I'd argue that getting your revenue up front (before the user gets bored) may be a safer business model than relying on your users to stay hooked and pump more money into your games. Although I suspect the buying/playing habits of console and mobile games are a little different. It's probably easier to get hooked on something if you can play whenever you want to.

 

[steveOrino]

If by "the future" you mean profit in relation to development effort, then it's only seemingly highly profitable for a small number of developers. Look at the amount of total developers across the iOS and Google Play stores then count the number of truly successful games.

Free to play just means there's no barrier to entry (no initial purchase) for people to continue to play your game, and invest in it with micro transactions, you are back to the same challenges as full price games. The games have to stand out from the crowd.

I've read a few articles that suggest a lot of gamers never finish games. With that kind of staying power, I'd argue that getting your revenue up front (before the user gets bored) may be a safer business model than relying on your users to stay hooked and pump more money into your games. Although I suspect the buying/playing habits of console and mobile games are a little different. It's probably easier to get hooked on something if you can play whenever you want to.

Well said. The gold rush is over. Quality and value still matter to quite a few people.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

I'm pretty sure Homerdog was criticising the free to play direction of Crytek.

 

[homerdog]

I'm pretty sure Homerdog was criticising the free to play direction of Crytek.

Yes. It wasn't very clear from my post but F2P is the antichrist

 

[Jedi2016]

F2P only works if people actually buy into the extra content. If everyone plays it for free, you don't make anything, and I don't think these particular games have the "whales" associated with mobile F2P games that make the companies all their money.

But no, it's not because of F2P or "consolizing" or any of it.. it's because the company is run by an idiot/madman who does what he wants without any consideration for how to actually run a business. The good news is that once Crytek folds ("when", not "if"), we won't be hearing from him any more since I doubt anyone would hire a guy who let his company be run into bankruptcy through sheer incompetence and stupidity.

 

[Grall]

The good news is that once Crytek folds ("when", not "if"), we won't be hearing from him any more since I doubt anyone would hire a guy who let his company be run into bankruptcy through sheer incompetence and stupidity.

Speaking of which, what are all the Factor5 big-wigs doing right now?

Haven't heard anything about any of them for ages now. Well, not since they nuked their own company into oblivion, that is...

 

[homerdog]

But no, it's not because of F2P or "consolizing" or any of it.. it's because the company is run by an idiot/madman who does what he wants without any consideration for how to actually run a business. The good news is that once Crytek folds ("when", not "if"), we won't be hearing from him any more since I doubt anyone would hire a guy who let his company be run into bankruptcy through sheer incompetence and stupidity.

Remember when he said they wouldn't be making any more non f2p games after their contractual obligations were finished? At least he was right about one thing

 

[tuna]

Yeah, the founders/owners of Crytek are real big idiots. Idiots who built a 800 employee company that had been operating for more than 10 years.....

 

[Jedi2016]

Yeah, the founders/owners of Crytek are real big idiots. Idiots who built a 800 employee company that had been operating for more than 10 years.....

What, you don't think a big company can fail? I've seen companies a hell of a lot bigger than Crytek fall flat on their face through piss-poor management.